THE NIGHTMARE CONTINUES
| Nashville | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| HAWKS | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Yanic Perreault had two goals and Steve Sullivan scored on a third-period penalty shot to help the Nashville Predators hand the Chicago Blackhawks their 10th straight loss, 5-1 on Sunday night.
The Blackhawks' losing streak is their longest since a team-record 12-game slide at the end of the 1950-51 season. Chicago's last win was Dec. 16 against St. Louis.
Jerred Smithson and Adam Hall also scored for the Predators, who won for only the second time in their last seven games.
Nashville's Chris Mason stopped 36 shots, allowing only Mark Bell's goal that completed the scoring at 7:36 of the third period.
Chicago's Craig Anderson, starting his fifth straight game in goal with Nikolai Khabibulin sidelined by a groin injury, made 16 saves.
Chicago forward Tuomo Ruutu left the game late in the second period after jamming his right skate against the back of the net. Ruutu, who has missed 30 games this season because of a sore back, was helped from the ice by teammates.
Smithson opened the scoring at 9:01 of the first period. From the front of the net, he batted in a rebound of Jordin Tootoo's shot from the left boards.
Hall made it 2-0 with 1:40 left in the first, completing a 2-on-1 with Scott Harntell. Hall and Hartnell skated in against Chicago defenseman Adrian Aucoin after Aucoin's defense partner, Jaroslav Spacek, passed the puck right onto Hartnell's stick in the neutral zone.
Perreault's tip-in at 11:44 of the second, just a second after a Chicago penalty expired, stretched Nashville's lead to 3-0. At the left side of the crease, Perreault redirected in Martin Erat's pinpoint, cross-ice feed.
Perreault's second goal, during a 4-on-4 at 2:46 of the third, made it 4-0. After Aucoin blocked Perreault's first shot, Perreault chipped in his own rebound.
Sullivan was awarded the penalty shot at 6:24 of the third after being hooked from behind. He used a backhander to beat Anderson, who faced two penalty shots in the Blackhawks' previous game, a 3-2 loss to Vancouver on Thursday night.
Bell made it 5-1 at 7:36 when his shot from the right circle hit Mason and went into the net.